Also Known as Rowan Pohi

Ralph FletcherClarion Books

To dispel boredom while waiting for tenth grade to begin, Bobby and his friends create an imaginary kid named Rowan Pohi (that’s IHOP backwards) and apply to the prestigious Whitestone Prep in Rowan’s name. When, surprisingly, Rowan’s application is accepted, Bobby impulsively reinvents himself as Rowan and embarks on an edgy life of deception in the rarefied world of Whitestone. Told with Ralph Fletcher’s trademark blend of humor and depth, the story of Rowan’s rise and fall is a funny, poignant, and suspenseful riff on the adolescent search for identity.

The One O’Clock Chop

Ralph FletcherHenry Holt

It’s the summer of 1973 and fourteen year old Matt spends his days working on a boat as a clam digger to earn extra money. His nights are another story–he spends time with his free-spirited cousin Jazzy who is visiting from Hawaii (and just happens to be beautiful). Matt can’t deny that his affection for Jazzy moves beyond a crush, and everyone knows you can’t fall in love with your cousin. Just when Matt decides to act on his feelings, Jazzy does something that changes everything between them.

Like the one o’clock chop–the strong breeze that blows across the Long Island Sound–Matt’s summer proves to be as inevitable as a force of nature. Told with pitch-perfect angst and realism, Ralph Fletcher tells a gripping story of a teenager’s life-altering summer.